


All The Way Through - Nonstop

by Vanessa_Cocotea



Category: Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996)
Genre: Gen, Holidays, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-06
Updated: 2013-12-06
Packaged: 2018-01-03 16:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1072659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanessa_Cocotea/pseuds/Vanessa_Cocotea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From 2010:</p><p>The first of several Christmas/NYE/NY stories I will be posting over the next few weeks.</p><p>The Doctor repays a debt and Grace finds out why the TARDIS is giggling...</p>
            </blockquote>





	All The Way Through - Nonstop

No one said a word. Both Grace and the Doctor were flat out on chairs in the console room, having both stuffed themselves silly at Christmas dinner. They just kept sighing over and over. It had been a quiet Christmas. Very nice, but quiet. Grace rather liked it that way. The Doctor also found himself enjoying a quieter holiday. Of course, there was the evening still to come. The Doctor knew THAT would be quite a bit livelier. He grinned to himself when he thought of Grace's reaction when she found out where they were going for the evening. It was a Christmas present he'd been trying to give her for a long time now. It always seemed that something had interfered and had prevented his getting the details just right, but not this time. Everything was perfect. The TARDIS had even laid Grace's outfit out on her bed. He couldn't WAIT to see her reaction to that, either.

In the meantime, Grace was also smiling to herself. She had been considering what to give the Doctor for his 'birthday' in a few days' time and had decided on something she knew he'd thoroughly enjoy. She'd heard him say, at one point, that he'd never seen this particular entertainment and would very much like to see it. She had already made the arrangements with the TARDIS's help, though she couldn't work out why the TARDIS kept doing her equivalent of giggling. Grace sighed, reckoning it must be that Christmas had got to the TARDIS as well.

After their meal had reasonably settled, the Doctor decided it was time to get ready. He smiled at Grace. "I think it's time we made a start, eh?"

"Start for what?" Grace replied, still a bit blitzed out from her dinner.

"Oh, just another Christmas present I've got for you!" He grinned again. "It's outside the TARDIS. And, we'll have to change clothes. You'll find yours on your bed." Grace looked puzzled, then miffed, as the Doctor added, still grinning, "We've got about half an hour before we have to be where we're going." He got up and waved Grace towards the inner door. "Come on!"

Grace got up, groaning. "This had better be good, Doctor!"

"Oh, it is, I assure you!"

********

Grace froze when she saw the outfit on her bed. It was the exact same outfit she'd worn to her interrupted evening at 'Madame Butterfly' in December 1999 - right down to her evening bag and earrings! "How in the world could he have known what I wore that night??" She knew she should stop trying to figure out the Doctor. It was a lost cause. But she found she couldn't stop smiling as she got dressed. She had a very strong suspicion as to where the Doctor might be taking her. She hoped she was right. Hoping she was, she even put her hair up - exactly as she'd worn it that night.

In the meantime, the Doctor was also getting ready. He was wearing his green velvet frock coat, of course, but he'd changed a few other items. He was wearing a blue linen wing-collared shirt and a green silk cravat. He'd chosen a blue and green tapestry waistcoat and dove grey linen trousers with matching dove grey-coloured braces. His beautiful shoulder-length chestnut hair shone and tumbled down in well-behaved curls. He wanted everything to be perfect. He checked again for the tickets. They were for the front row. Yes, everything was there. Perfect. He went to fetch Grace.

********

They both smiled in approval when they saw each other. Grace looked at him and asked, "Doctor, how did you know about everything I wore that night? You could have only seen the dress when I dropped it off at the cleaners. How could you have known about the coat and gloves and shoes and earrings?" Grace was totally baffled. Somewhat infuriatingly, the Doctor just tapped the side of his nose and grinned. "Ah, we're here!" He offered Grace his arm. "Shall we go?" She sighed, took his arm and they left the TARDIS.

********

"Oh my God!" Grace breathed. She'd been right - about one thing, at any rate. The Doctor HAD brought her to see 'Madame Butterfly'. But he'd also brought her to the very same theatre in San Francisco she and Brian had been at that night! Although, she wasn't particularly surprised to find the Doctor had got them front row seats. That was just like him to be able to swing those! This time, she wouldn't need opera glasses.

Then they both lost themselves in the opera for the next few hours. They even found themselves softly singing along to every piece. Afterwards, the Doctor had even arranged for them to go backstage and meet the performers. Grace would NEVER forget this evening! She kissed the Doctor and said, "Thank you, Doctor! That was a wonderful present!" Her eyes were shining like the entire night sky. The Doctor smiled, "You're very welcome, Grace! I thought it was high time you got to see 'Madame Butterfly' clear through without interruption! After all, I owed it to you - seeing as how it was me who interrupted your last chance." He chuckled. "It was the least I could do! I just wish it hadn't taken so long to get the details right. But I wanted it to be perfect." He smiled at her.

"It was perfect, Doctor! You did a great job!" Grace grinned back.

It was when they were at a restaurant, having a light meal after the opera, that Grace started giggling and couldn't seem to stop. She had just realised why the TARDIS had been giggling at her birthday present for the Doctor. The Doctor looked at her, puzzled. "What is it?"

She smiled mysteriously. "You'll see." The Doctor just shook his head and chuckled.

********

It was 31st December - New Year's Eve and the Doctor's 'birthday'. Now it was Grace's turn to lay the Doctor's outfit out for him and to check everything was ready for HER surprise to him! She'd repeated the outfit the Doctor had worn to 'Madame Butterfly' on Christmas. He'd looked so gorgeous in it that Grace had wanted a repeat performance! For herself, though, she'd chosen something different. She'd chosen a royal blue velvet gown with a full skirt, sleeveless, and with a sweetheart neckline. She'd also found a beautiful matching mantle in the wardrobe room. It looked beautiful with her auburn hair. She'd booked the restaurant for afterwards as well. She wanted her surprise for the Doctor to be just as wonderful as his was to her. Lastly, she went to set the coordinates and to let the Doctor out of his tea cupboard where she'd locked him in.

"All right, you can come out now!" She opened the door and grinned.

"Finally!" He looked at her and smiled in appreciation. "Grace, you look beautiful! So, where are we going?" He looked at her quizzically. "I take it we're going to some place outside the TARDIS again, right?"

"That's right. And this time, you have about twenty minutes to get ready! Your things are laid out in your bedroom." Grace was having difficulty holding back some serious laughter! The Doctor chuckled and went to his room. Grace was up to something, that was for sure. He got to his room and saw his outfit from Christmas - complete with a freshly-cleaned, duplicate, green velvet frock coat, laid out for him. He chuckled again. He had no doubt that Grace would probably blindfold him as well. In five minutes he looked just as wonderful as he'd looked at Christmas - and Grace told him so when he emerged. And, yes, she did blindfold him. This time he hadn't a clue as to where Grace was taking him.

********

Grace guided the Doctor out of the TARDIS to the San Franciscan theatre where they would enjoy Grace's birthday present for the Doctor. She left him in the foyer and went to get the tickets. Luckily, they were also front row seats. "The Doctor is going to love this!" She mused to herself as she walked back to him. She guided him to the poster advertising the evening's performance and took off the blindfold. "Happy Birthday, Doctor!"

The Doctor took one look at the poster and burst out laughing! He now understood Grace's amusement at the restaurant on Christmas. Also, he'd never seen this particular work. "Thank you, Grace! This is perfect!" He hugged and kissed her and they went in to a lovely evening enjoying Puccini's "Turandot".

FIN


End file.
